The FBI has warned sports leagues about athletes’ homes being targeted by crime organizations for burglaries. The warning, delivered by a Liaison Information Report obtained by ABC News, comes after a rash of high-profile athletes have been the victim of said crimes, with Mavericks star Luka Doncic being the latest example. About $30,000 of jewelry was stolen from Doncic’s house Friday night, per a police report.
“These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash,” the report says.
The report also states that these “theft groups” allegedly targeted nine professional athletes’ homes between September and November. That number includes the residences of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, which were reportedly burglarized earlier in the NFL season. Furthermore, Bengals star Joe Burrow was reportedly a victim of a similar crime in early December.
The FBI does not refer to any athletes by name in the report, but Timberwolves guard Mike Conley and Bucks forward Bobby Portis have had their houses burglarized during the aforementioned span, per reports.
The FBI says that organized theft groups from South America conduct surveillance ahead of time to prepare for those burglaries and collect public information and social media data to identify potential targets’ day-to-day patterns. These groups often know where valuable items are kept in the homes.
“Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras, and obfuscate their identities,” the FBI report said.
Both the NFL and NBA issued security alerts to their players in November, urging players to take additional precautions when away from home.
